


Natari Alces

by Kariachi



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Centaurs, Friendship, Gen, kevin is a little shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kariachi/pseuds/Kariachi
Summary: "So, any particular reason for trying to drown us?"
Kudos: 10





	Natari Alces

Having a centaur on the team was handier than they had ever expected. Keener senses than a human, more raw muscle to throw around without a time limit attached to it, and on a moderately comfortable, if bitchy, mode of transportation. Sure vehicles could carry more, and get you places quicker, but the Rustbucket had never intimidated _anyone_ and they’d once watched a Clydesdale in full plate see Kevin armor up and decide the fight just wasn’t worth it. They had to deal with _less fights_ just because the sight of Kevin made people rethink their position. It was _awesome_.

“Get off.” Though not always without its issues.

“What? No way, we’ve still got ten more miles before we hit civilization!” Four months into their association and the Tennysons found themselves riding a Kevin who had stopped in the middle of the edgeroad. There’d been another Forever Knight situation to deal with and now it was four pm, midsummer, and they both just wanted to get home and get a few hours to enjoy their summer break before the next crisis hit. Kevin snorted, a loud, huffing sound.

“Your funeral,” he said and cousins jolted to one side as he abruptly leapt to the right, heading for the rocky shore they’d been traveling passed. Gwen clutched tight at his upper torso, Ben clutching tight to her, as he charged full force into the surf.

“Kevin!”

“I told you to get off.” Ben looped his arm in Gwen’s as he went deeper, dialing up Big Chill and snatching her into the air just in time for their friend to dive beneath the waves. He flew the two of them back to shore, Gwen griping about being soaked up to her armpits, and they settled on the rocks with identical scowls. Several seconds later Kevin’s head popped back out of the water, heading back towards shore, and he eventually flopped over onto his side at a spot deep enough he had to support his upper torso with an arm to keep his head above the water.

“You’re a fucking labrador, I swear,” Ben called out to him. Kevin flipped him off, then started groping around in the water, feeling for something.

“No, I’m a moose, we’re bigger,” he replied, pulling up a clump of seagrass and chowing down.

“So,” Gwen asked, “any particular _reason_ for trying to drown us?” They could’ve sworn they saw him roll his eyes, even from that distance.

“I’m near black, it’s hot, the sun is shining, hauling you lazy shits around is a work out, and I’m a cold weather species. If gramps hadn’t been a mule deer I’d have collapsed on the road an hour ago.” Ah.

“I take it this is why we don’t see any caribou around here,” Ben said, turning to Gwen but keeping his voice loud enough to include Kevin, who responded.

“A caribou would _die_ out here in summer.” More sea grass, he was going to wipe out the supply in that spot, wasn’t he. “The only reason the few of us moose there are out here manage is because we have the water to run to.”

“Uh-huh. And how long do you plan to run to this water here,” Gwen asked.

“Until I feel better or I see a shark.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake-”

“You may wanna get comfortable.” With sighs and groans the cousins pulled out their phones- glad that between heroing and Kevin’s tendency to fry any unsuspecting electronics that strayed too close too long they’d all upgraded to ones that could take anything short of reentry- and started shooting off texts letting their parents know they might be late for dinner. Gwen being careful to come up with an excuse that wasn’t ‘Kevin decided to take an impromptu swim’.

“Mom says you’re welcome for dinner if you want, Kev,” Ben called out after a few minutes. “We’re having tuna noodle casserole.”

“And you need someone to eat your share.” Kevin threw a grin back at them. “Tell her it sounds great.”

“Will do.”

In the end they were easily an hour there on the coast, talking about whatever came to mind as they waited for Kevin to recover. By then the Tennysons had mostly dried off in the heat of the sunny day, stripping down and laying their clothes out to dry so they wouldn’t catch cold. Which made it doubly annoying to have to ride a wet centaur back. Gwen ended up just wearing Ben’s jacket around her waist for the trip, putting her pants back on when they dropped her off a block or so from home so that she wouldn’t have to explain the wet spot to her mother. Ben suffered through, and got his revenge when his mother saw Kevin, still plenty damp, and insisted he towel off before eating, no matter that they were having dinner in the backyard.

(“What are you thinking, you’ll catch your death!” “I’m _fine_ , Mrs. Tennsyon…”)

Really, he was just lucky he was so damn cute.


End file.
